I had the chance to ask Ben a few questions about his experience with Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2. I did a quick poll of people on a Farscape page of what they wanted to know and most of us had similar questions but a special shout out to Josh D for the Marvel question!

1) We have seen James Gunn’s tweet that he had told you at the Saturn Awards he wanted you in Guardians 2 but he didn’t think you believed him. How did it unfold?

Ben : I introduced myself to Gunn at the 2015 Saturns… Surprise! (or not) He knew Farscape. I gushed about GOTGvol1, then accused him of pilfering my sock drawer for material. He mentioned finding a spot for me in GOTGvol2, we snapped a selfie… hugged it out. Lo and behold, 2 years later, James Gunn is a man of his word. Deep respect for him.

2) You were already of fan of James Gunn before the Guardians so how was the experience of working with him? Did you choose the Admiral’s “voice” or was it suggested?

Ben : Admirals voice was cued by the fact that all the Sovereign sounded English. Yes, I’m a fan of Gunn… Slither is awesome. His writing is always sharp and clever. And GOTG was spectacular***After seeing the film I mentioned loving hearing PK John’s voice (as many online have also commented!) this was Ben’s response since so many seem to have missed my previous post —Actually the accent was more Laurence Olivier-ish from the Battle of Britain (retro-RP) than PK John (Pseudo-aussiefied-Americanized RP), but the British are very snippy about their own versions of “English” dialects. Americans will endure the Brits mutilating our dialects with abandon and never take note.

3) What was the make up prep like and how much of the sovereign set was CGI?

Ben : Make-up prep was pretty straight forward… I sat in a chair and they painted… Becoming solid gold is less time consuming than becoming Scorpy. The Sovereign set was half practical… saying which half would reveal trade secrets.

4)Did you interact with the main cast at all? You are the original Star Lord after all to many of us!

Ben : I’m more like Star Lord’s trailer park uncle. I met some of the Guardians briefly.

4) And from Scaper Josh — What is your favorite Marvel comic/movie and why?

Ben : As a kid… The Amazing Spiderman and The Fantastic Four… I was big into Spidey. I still imagine myself clinging to the ceiling and swinging from my web. But Fantastic Four had a character named Ben! Which appealed to my former age 6-year old narcissism. GOTG is my favorite Marvel movie… followed by Deadpool… Though I’m pretty stoked for the next Thor. (Which was my third Fav comic as a kid)

5) The question that can not be answered I am sure but the teasers at the end hint at Aeysha’s return —- how about her Admiral’s? Even if it is deleted scenes for the DVD

Ben : That’s a future question, which I can’t, and probably wouldn’t answer right now anyway.

I had the chance to ask Ben a few questions about his experience with Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2. I did a quick poll of people on a Farscape page of what they wanted to know and most of us had similar questions but a special shout out to Josh D for the Marvel question!

1) We have seen James Gunn’s tweet that he had told you at the Saturn Awards he wanted you in Guardians 2 but he didn’t think you believed him. How did it unfold?

Ben : I introduced myself to Gunn at the 2015 Saturns… Surprise! (or not) He knew Farscape. I gushed about GOTGvol1, then accused him of pilfering my sock drawer for material. He mentioned finding a spot for me in GOTGvol2, we snapped a selfie… hugged it out. Lo and behold, 2 years later, James Gunn is a man of his word. Deep respect for him.

2) You were already of fan of James Gunn before the Guardians so how was the experience of working with him? Did you choose the Admiral’s “voice” or was it suggested?

Ben : Admirals voice was cued by the fact that all the Sovereign sounded English. Yes, I’m a fan of Gunn… Slither is awesome. His writing is always sharp and clever. And GOTG was spectacular***After seeing the film I mentioned loving hearing PK John’s voice (as many online have also commented!) this was Ben’s response since so many seem to have missed my previous post —Actually the accent was more Laurence Olivier-ish from the Battle of Britain (retro-RP) than PK John (Pseudo-aussiefied-Americanized RP), but the British are very snippy about their own versions of “English” dialects. Americans will endure the Brits mutilating our dialects with abandon and never take note.

3) What was the make up prep like and how much of the sovereign set was CGI?

Ben : Make-up prep was pretty straight forward… I sat in a chair and they painted… Becoming solid gold is less time consuming than becoming Scorpy. The Sovereign set was half practical… saying which half would reveal trade secrets.

4)Did you interact with the main cast at all? You are the original Star Lord after all to many of us!

Ben : I’m more like Star Lord’s trailer park uncle. I met some of the Guardians briefly.

4) And from Scaper Josh — What is your favorite Marvel comic/movie and why?

Ben : As a kid… The Amazing Spiderman and The Fantastic Four… I was big into Spidey. I still imagine myself clinging to the ceiling and swinging from my web. But Fantastic Four had a character named Ben! Which appealed to my former age 6-year old narcissism. GOTG is my favorite Marvel movie… followed by Deadpool… Though I’m pretty stoked for the next Thor. (Which was my third Fav comic as a kid)

5) The question that can not be answered I am sure but the teasers at the end hint at Aeysha’s return —- how about her Admiral’s? Even if it is deleted scenes for the DVD

Ben : That’s a future question, which I can’t, and probably wouldn’t answer right now anyway.

I wasn't aware that Ben was even in GOTG 2. Thanks for posting. Ben has the potential to be a much bigger star imo.

"I think we should all sue this women for depriving us of our God given right to go down with a clear mind, and good thoughts." - Stu, Consumate Pussy Eater

Nah, it's just a mess. Ridley Scott thinks audiences are interested in scenes of Michael Fassbender playing the flute and kissing himself. It was written by Skyfall screenwriter John Logan. Like Skyfall, where M recited Tennyson, this movie also features scenes of actors staring off in the distance quoting poetry. It's pretentious hack work at its absolute worst. Also, there is a scene of the first xenomorph being born that will have you laughing your ass off. It's like something out of Spaceballs. You'll know it when you see it.

"I think we should all sue this women for depriving us of our God given right to go down with a clear mind, and good thoughts." - Stu, Consumate Pussy Eater

The_Noble_Cause wrote:I wasn't aware that Ben was even in GOTG 2. Thanks for posting. Ben has the potential to be a much bigger star imo.

I was expecting his role to be a non-speaking, cameo, type. He is Ayeasha's "admiral", like a 2nd in command, so they are usually in the scenes together...and he has a few lines. So, it's a bigger role than I expected but still only a couple scenes and only a few lines. Since the Soveriegn and Ayeasha are in Vol 3, I would expect Ben to be there, too. It only makes sense.

He has been a part of a lot of SF/fantasy franchises now...Farscape, Stargate, GotG, Dr. Who, and Arrow. But, you're right, he deserves a bigger role. Farscape is the only one I have seen where he was allowed to really let loose and let the character shine. After seeing "Crichton", the other roles seem very limited.

A new Spider-Man film is upon us, but Raimi's long since left the building. War for the Planet of the Apes (which looks amazing, and for which anticipation is rather high) is going to take a serious chunk of biz away from Homecoming the next weekend.

I'll wait to see what S2M and Monker have to say about Homecoming, since they'll no doubt be there Thursday night!

verslibre wrote:A new Spider-Man film is upon us, but Raimi's long since left the building. War for the Planet of the Apes (which looks amazing, and for which anticipation is rather high) is going to take a serious chunk of biz away from Homecoming the next weekend.

I'll wait to see what S2M and Monker have to say about Homecoming, since they'll no doubt be there Thursday night!

Critics Consensus: Spider-Man: Homecoming does whatever a second reboot can, delivering a colorful, fun adventure that fits snugly in the sprawling MCU without getting bogged down in franchise-building.

Monker wrote:He has been a part of a lot of SF/fantasy franchises now...Farscape, Stargate, GotG, Dr. Who, and Arrow. But, you're right, he deserves a bigger role. Farscape is the only one I have seen where he was allowed to really let loose and let the character shine. After seeing "Crichton", the other roles seem very limited.

He has a mass appeal similar to Tom Hanks. Should be bigger.

"I think we should all sue this women for depriving us of our God given right to go down with a clear mind, and good thoughts." - Stu, Consumate Pussy Eater

Despite these trump cards, the film doesn't work. Why not? Because in a desire to highlight his youth and inexperience, the film turns Peter Parker into a dangerously incompetent would-be superhero. At its core, Spider-Man: Homecoming is 133 minutes of Peter Parker failing the "first do no harm" rule of super heroics.

This GIF perfectly encapsulates what all those guys on the CBM boards are feeling as Spider-Man: Homecoming is experiencing epic drops after a great first week. Umpteen excuses as for why War for the Planet of the Apes knocked it out of the #1 position, and all that jazz.

verslibre wrote:This GIF perfectly encapsulates what all those guys on the CBM boards are feeling as Spider-Man: Homecoming is experiencing epic drops after a great first week. Umpteen excuses as for why War for the Planet of the Apes knocked it out of the #1 position, and all that jazz.

OH, who cares. People wanted to see Homecoming. People wanted to see Planet of the Apes. They essentially split the week. Now Valerian will probably take it's turn. These movies are all things people want to see and are competition for each other...unlike what WW faced.

That's what MCU diehards are up in arms about. Hell, they're even crying that Homecoming's RT rating slipped back to 92%. They literally count how many fresh reviews it'll take to recover that point. It's hilarious. Go look at the Hype forums if you don't believe me.

Monker wrote:Now Valerian will probably take it's turn.

I've been looking forward to Valerian, but it won't do that well here in the US. It hasn't been promoted extensively enough (though the theater lobby does have a sweet ass giant poster), and right now the buzz is all about Nolan's Dunkirk, which is being hailed as the best movie of the year, so far. Valerian will perform much better in Europe, Asia and even South America. Dunkirk and Valerian both open this week. We know which movie's going to sell more tickets.

Monker wrote:These movies are all things people want to see and are competition for each other...unlike what WW faced.

More fake news. Wonder Woman tripped The Mummy and outshone Cars 3. Wonder Woman won those battles. Homecoming lost its second week to the Apes. Is it franchise fatigue? Is it because it's another Spider-Man reboot? Is it because people are getting tired of Tony Stark's omnipresence? You figure it out.

I have no horse in the DC vs Marvel fight. I thought Spiderman was pretty good. I wish Keaton's Vulture has been more physically involved. I don't think the hot version of Aunt May played by Tomei really works. Overall no complaints. The twist about Vulture's connection to Spidey's crush felt like the same beat from the Andrew Garfield movies with Dennis Leary's cop character being related to Gwen Stacy.

Valerian (or whatever) may be the biggest flop of the summer, but I'm sure it will clean up overseas. Looks like alot of fun.

"I think we should all sue this women for depriving us of our God given right to go down with a clear mind, and good thoughts." - Stu, Consumate Pussy Eater

That's what MCU diehards are up in arms about. Hell, they're even crying that Homecoming's RT rating slipped back to 92%. They literally count how many fresh reviews it'll take to recover that point. It's hilarious. Go look at the Hype forums if you don't believe me.

So, why do you care so much about why a bunch of MCU nerds care about? So what.

Monker wrote:Now Valerian will probably take it's turn.

I've been looking forward to Valerian, but it won't do that well here in the US. It hasn't been promoted extensively enough (though the theater lobby does have a sweet ass giant poster), and right now the buzz is all about Nolan's Dunkirk, which is being hailed as the best movie of the year, so far. Valerian will perform much better in Europe, Asia and even South America. Dunkirk and Valerian both open this week. We know which movie's going to sell more tickets.

You don't "know" anything. I have NO interest in Dunkirk. I have more interest in Valerian than Spiderman. And, Valerian is trying to ride some type of nostalgic coattails of Fifth Element.

It is also more direct competition with Planet of the Apes and Spiderman, being scifi and a graphic novel.

Monker wrote:These movies are all things people want to see and are competition for each other...unlike what WW faced.

More fake news. Wonder Woman tripped The Mummy and outshone Cars 3.

I haven't looked at the numbers for Cars, but I know for The Mummy, ww had NOTHING to do with its failure. People did not go to the theater and choose WW over the Mummy. The Mummy simply did not attract an audience. Period. Planet of the Apes DID attract an audience...so it was If you compare the second week of Homecoming to WW, I'll bet they are pretty close tot he same.

Is it franchise fatigue? Is it because it's another Spider-Man reboot? Is it because people are getting tired of Tony Stark's omnipresence? You figure it out.[/'quote]

It is none of the above. Nobody wanted to see THe Mummy, people wanted to see Planet of the Apes. Again, how does the second week of Homecoming and WW compare? Box Office Mojo does not have them up yet.

I doubt it will...so what? It's got a lot of competition, and it's later in the summer. I would never expect it to compete with WW or GotG2, which were both in prime time, and neither had a lot of competition.

Monker wrote:So, why do you care so much about why a bunch of MCU nerds care about? So what.

Sounds like something's eating away over there...

Monker wrote:You don't "know" anything.

I'm telling you what's trending. Don't argue with me, argue with all of them.

Monker wrote:I have NO interest in Dunkirk.

You don't, while scores of others do. It's already a critical smash. Isn't that what gives your type a major woody?

Monker wrote:I have more interest in Valerian than Spiderman.

Same here.

Monker wrote:And, Valerian is trying to ride some type of nostalgic coattails of Fifth Element.

Definitely, and I love that movie (also influenced by the Valerian comic, which Luc Besson loves).

Monker wrote:It is also more direct competition with Planet of the Apes and Spiderman, being scifi and a graphic novel.

It's not going to do that well in the US. You've been forewarned.

Monker wrote:I haven't looked at the numbers for Cars, but I know for The Mummy, ww had NOTHING to do with its failure. People did not go to the theater and choose WW over the Mummy. The Mummy simply did not attract an audience. Period. Planet of the Apes DID attract an audience...so it was

Blah, blah, blah...

Monker wrote:If you compare the second week of Homecoming to WW, I'll bet they are pretty close tot he same.

Monker wrote:Again, how does the second week of Homecoming and WW compare? Box Office Mojo does not have them up yet.

Yes, they're up, minus today's take (Thursday). So for Friday through Wednesday, Wonder Woman's daily grosses are all higher, even on Discount Tuesday. But the biggest difference is the weekend, where WW made 14.4 million more than SM:H.

Monker wrote:I doubt it will...so what? It's got a lot of competition, and it's later in the summer. I would never expect it to compete with WW or GotG2, which were both in prime time, and neither had a lot of competition.

Why would you NOT expect it to compete? It's SPIDER-MAN, dude. He's the #1 selling superhero property in the world. MCU-philes expected Homecoming to smear everything as a scythe clears a corn field...except that didn't happen.

Saw the new Thor this week. One of the few Marvel movies, lately that I have really wanted to see. I laughed my butt off. The action was pretty good and had a sense of fun. I would give the movie a A for that alone.....But, the comedy was too over the top, Thor was a buffoon, Hulk a spoiled child and Jeff's role was a big wtf. The Valerie warrior and female villain where the only one who's character was real. Odin, Thor's friends were a lost. Hulk fights another dog at the end of the movie (we know how the dog fight went in first hulk movie went). The witty banner between Banner and Thor, while funny, got old.I would see the movie again as a buddy cop movie, but as a Thor movie, I would not recommend. Overall grade C-

Abitaman wrote:Saw the new Thor this week. One of the few Marvel movies, lately that I have really wanted to see. I laughed my butt off. The action was pretty good and had a sense of fun. I would give the movie a A for that alone.....But, the comedy was too over the top, Thor was a buffoon, Hulk a spoiled child and Jeff's role was a big wtf. The Valerie warrior and female villain where the only one who's character was real. Odin, Thor's friends were a lost. Hulk fights another dog at the end of the movie (we know how the dog fight went in first hulk movie went). The witty banner between Banner and Thor, while funny, got old.I would see the movie again as a buddy cop movie, but as a Thor movie, I would not recommend. Overall grade C-

You absolutely have to check your brain at the door for this one.

The special effects are phenomenal (well, they got ILM). The music by Mark Mothersbaugh is pretty sweet. Some of the action's really good (not Snyder level, though). The cinematography's good, too.

But then when you get down to story and characterization, shit goes haywire. Thor now talks like Keanu, Odin dies an insignificant death, Hela shows up and intermittently takes over Asgard (the scenes on Sakaar are more interesting, with all the problems there), and Doctor Strange's cameo is completely unnecessary and takes up time that should have been used for an additional bout in the arena. They show nobody else, not even Korg, in a bout, and thus we only see the centerpiece match between Hulk and Thor (the latter doesn't even get a warm-up).

The ad-libbing and overabundance of jokes had me rolling my eyes at times. I got used to Korg's NZ accent (since he's Waititi, of course). Would've liked to see Korg in action, though.

That's what happens when you overstuff a paper grocery bag. Surtur, Hela, Sakaar, and Ragnarok ... four sagas wedged into one movie. It's like filling the seams between bricks with peanut butter. (Loki goes unpunished for both Odin's years-long banishment and trying to sell out Thor on Sakaar, just because he helps out during the final battle on Asgard.)

Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster is a buffoon. He's basically himself, all quirk and quip. Cate plays Hela straight, for the most part. But Hela becomes another throwaway villain by the end of the movie. Two of the Warriors Three eat shit like guys caught on the toilet (think Vincent in Pulp Fiction). Thor's mid-battle crisis pep-talk with Ghost-Odin is more filler. Mjolnir is Thor's signature weapon, and Odin's speech renders it little more than a prop. Readers know Thor gets another weapon later, anyway: a sledgehammer called Stormbreaker.

Seven Wishes wrote:"Abysmal? He's the most proactive President since Clinton, and he's bringing much-needed change for the better to a nation that has been tyrannized by the worst President since Hoover."- 7 Wishes on Pres. Obama

And they said Steppenwolf looked bad. Sheesh. Atleast he didn't have an oversized, shriveled up nutsack hanging off his chin.

The trailer looks like every other Avengers movie. It's the same stuff with hero's running at full speed at each other. We've watched this movie before. Over and over again. Marvel rivals the Hallmark channel in making the same movie but with different characters. Marvel fans are no different than the targeted female audience with Hallmark movies where they get suckered into just wanting to see the man and woman kiss at the end. Marvel fans just want quips and giggles instead.

Watched Logan again last night. Awesome movie. Honestly, better than anything the MCU has produced. Yes, I'm going to put Logan above the MCU's best picture, The Winter Soldier.

Mangold just went for it. And they let him. I read complaints before about Dr. Rice (Richard E. Grant) being one-dimensional, but seriously, you get everything you need to know about him. He's a bastard. So is Pierce (Boyd Holbrook). These guys are how bad guys should be: irredeemably bad, though they believe in what they're doing.

I love how brutal the movie is. The violence is well-staged and lots of people, bad and good — like, sadly, the Munsons — go down. The Munsons already had a problem to deal with, and then the Pierce-Rice brigade shows up with X-24 in tow. Just nuts.

Dafne Keen is amazing. Just amazing.

Everyone should own this movie. The 3-disc Blu-ray/DVD has the b&w Logan NOIR cut on the third disc.